East Lansing, Mich. - Mel Tucker challenged the Spartans to start fast in a trap game situation on Saturday, and then he empowered the players to do just that.

He and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson decided at mid-week to being the game against Youngstown State with a flea-flicker, and it resulted in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Payton Thorne to Jayden Reed to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead one snap into the game.

That play fueled Michigan State to a 28-0 lead and a 42-14 victory over Youngstown State.

It marked the second straight game that Michigan State began a game with a 75-yard TD strike.

“He (Tucker) made that very clear, that there’s no start in this game,” Thorne said. “There’s none of that. I thought we came out of the gates firing and played pretty well.”

Thorne passes for 280 yards on 15-of-21 accuracy, with four touchdowns and no interceptions for Michigan State (2-0).

“We knew on Wednesday or Thursday that that was the play we would open with,” Thorne said. “They came out with the coverage we thought they would, and he (Reed) made a nice play and it worked out for us.”

That play fired up the Spartan sideline and protected against a flat start coming off of last week’s impressive victory at Northwestern and ahead of next week’s super tester at Miami.

“It gives you a little bit of juice when you see something like that,” sophomore defensive end Jeff Pietrowski said of the flea-flicker touchdown.

“The first thing I said (when I saw the flea-flicker) is ‘Coach Tuck is crazy,’” said Michigan State senior safety Xavier Henderson. “I saw them practicing that play but I didn’t know they were gong to come out with it the first play of the game. “

Reed finished with four catches for 181 yards and TD grabs of 75 and 85 yards.

“We wanted to start fast,” Tucker said. “The plan was to come out and attack and be aggressive. We have to set the tone. We have to be in attack mode. That’s the way we need to play. I don’t know any other way to play.”

Saturday marked the first time fans were able to attend a game at Spartan Stadium in large numbers since November of 2019. Spartan Stadium was about 80 percent full, with an announced attendance of 70,103.

The student section was packed and loud. Pre-game ceremonies honoring first responders on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 put an extra charge into the afternoon.

“I felt a tremendous amount of energy from our stands, from our students, from our Spartan nation behind our football team,” Tucker said. “So we are going to continue to grow and get better and that’s what it’s all about.”

“Just hearing them gave me chills,” Reed said. “Seeing the crowd, that just gave me butterflies and a little more energy to my soul. That’s one of the reasons I came here, this environment right here. There is really nothing more I could ask for.”

* When Thorne hooked up with Reed for a pair of TD passes, it was a case of former high school teammates connecting with one another, time and again. Thorne and Reed attended Naperville (Ill.) Central High School

And when Michigan State defensive back Xavier Henderson intercepted a pass from Youngstown State’s Demeatric Crenshaw, it was also a case of former high school teammates throwing to one another - although it wasn’t the way Crenshaw planned it.

“I hate to do my boy Meatch like that,” Henderson said of the interception. “He played really well and Youngstown State did too.”

Henderson’s interception was the play of the day. It was a leaping, one-handed grab of a deep pass, inside the 5-yard line.

“I was playing deep middle, kind of just put my hand up there,” Henderson said. “I have new gloves. Kind of sticky.”

He was asked if he was familiar with Charles Woodson’s one-handed, leaping interception against Michigan State in 1997.

“I think mine looked more like Kurtis Drummond’s against Western Michigan,” Henderson said with a smile. “When I was young, I was a fan of Woodson. I still am - the pro Woodson.

“But I didn’t like that Woodson interception when I got here. I liked the Drummond one.”

* Michigan State was without starting defensive end Drew Beesley and Drew Jordan, who was the first defensive end off the bench last week. Michigan State was also without defensive end Tank Brown. No clarification was given about their ailments.

Sophomore Jeff Pietrowski started in place of Beesley. Pietrowski had four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

“Going into the game, we knew we were going to be without two guys that played a lot but we have a deep room,” Pietrowski said. “That’s something we pride ourselves in. Everyone had to help each other this week. I got the start but a whole bunch of guys played. Hopefully we get those guys back soon.”

Jacub Panasiuk started at the other defensive end position for a second straight week and was more productive than in the opener. He had four tackles, two tackles for loss and two QB hits.

Jack Camper, who didn’t play last week, and Michael Fletcher, who played sparingly last week, saw more action at d-end and had quiet games.

* Florida transfer Chester Kimbrough got his first start at cornerback. He started opposite Kalon Gervin and replaced Ronald Williams in the lineup. Williams got into the game in the first quarter and played as much as Kimbrough, if not more.

Freshman cornerback Charles Brantley also saw extended action as Michigan State played four cornerbacks regularly.

MSU’s defensive backs had a good day in coverage. Youngstown State’s starting QB, Demeatric Crenshaw, was 10-of-23 for 81 yards with one interception. He was sacked twice.

Youngstown State’s back-up QB Joe Craycraft was 6-of-9 for 56 yards in mop up duty against back-ups.

MSU’s defense was not dominant. Youngstown State racked up 20 first downs, thanks in part to 18 carries for 78 yards from redshirt-freshman quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw.

Crenshaw’s ability to keep the ball on the zone read option was a big factor in moving the chains, including a fourth-and-one carry for a 6-yard TD which cut the lead to 28-7 early in the second half.

“It’s always tough when they have some designed QB runs and a guy that can run around like that,” Michigan State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton said during a quick post-game radio interview.

Michigan State out-gained Youngstown State 595-304.

After building a quick 21-0 lead, the Spartans were never in danger of letting this game become a problem. But Youngstown battled back and moved the ball at times.

“We really didn’t do the best at stopping the run,” Henderson said. “That’s something we have to clean up and look at.”

Youngstown State ran more plays (77) than Michigan State (66).

Michigan State's defensive line didn't get pushed around, but the d-line didn't dominate up front, and that led to Youngstown State's ability to move the chains at times.

* Sophomore running back Jordon Simmons, last year’s leading rusher, led the Spartans with 121 yards rushing on 16 carries (7.6 per attempt).

* Kenneth Walker III, last week’s standout, averaged an explosive 8.1 yard per carry, but had a lighter work load. He rushed seven times for 57 yards, including a 24-yarder which fueled MSU’s second TD drive of the day.

* Elijah Collins had three carries for 32 yards and scored on a 20-yard screen pass but was injured on the play. He was in a protective boot in the second half. Tucker said he did not have an update on Collins’ health.

* Anthony Russo saw his first playing time at quarterback as a Spartans, with medicore results. The senior transfer from Temple fumbled at the 1-yard line at the end of a 7-yard gain on a zone read keeper late in the game.

Russo worked two possessions and was 5-of-7 for 43 yards.

* Youngstown State blocked an Michigan State punt in the second quarter. The Penguins blocked a punt last week in their victory over the University of Incarnate Word and came in as a clear threat to block one against the Spartans and Michigan State was unable to prevent it from happening.

* MSU’s left tackle position was flagged for three of the Spartans’ seven penalties. Starter Jarrett Horst was flagged twice for holding on consecutie plays, which stalled MSU’s fourth drive of the game.

Horst was replaced by super senior Luke Campbell, who played solidly for a second straight week after missing all of 2020 with injuries.

Horst returned to the lineup and played most of the game at left tackle. He was replaced for one series by A.J. Arcuri, who started at right tackle but moved to the left side for a series. Arcuri was flagged for a false start in the fourth quarter, which plagued Russo’s first drive, resulting in a punt.

After taking a 7-0 lead on the flea flicker, Michigan State made it 14-0 on a Thorne 10-yard TD run on a zone read keeper with 7:54 left in the first quarter.

Thorne’s 85-yard TD pass to Reed made it 21-0 early in the second quarter. On that play, Youngstown State had pretty good bracketed coverage on Reed. Thorne’s pass had to be perfect, and it was as the sophomore QB threw him open with a beautiful touch pass. From there, Youngstown State’s defenders didn’t have the speed to reel in Reed.

The Penguins cut the lead to 28-7 with a 11-play, 75-yard drive, ending with a 6-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 by QB Demeatric Crenshaw.

That drive was keyed by a 30-yard screen pass to RB Jaleel McLaughlin as the Penguin’s top offensive threat snuck past Spartan linebacker Quavaris Crouch in man-to-man and had open grass ahead of him after that.

Michigan State played a spat of second-stringers on defense on that drive, including Wheaton College transfer Spencer Rowland getting the first playing time of his career. Rowland was replaced by Xavier Henderson once Youngstown penetrated the 10-yard line, but the Spartans couldn’t preserve the shutout.

Michigan State answered with a 68-yard TD drive, culminated by a 4-yard TD surge from Walker to create a 35-7 halftime lead.

Youngstown State cut it to 35-14 on a 26-yard TD run by tailback Christian Turner. Michigan State was in two-deep/man-under with press coverage on the corners. The cornerbacks were run out of the play due to being in press man-to-man. The play-side safety, Angelo Grose, tried to head off the run but was blocked from outside-in on a crack. Michigan State's linebacker pursuit to the alley didn't arrive in time.

Michigan State managed only one touchdown in the second half. Jalen Nailor grabbed a 16-yard TD pass from Thorne on sight adjust fade against a corner blitz.